Casting Reality TV? It’s Now Difficult To Find Real People
In the article, "Casting Reality TV?
It’s Now Difficult To Find Real People", Craig Tomashoff describes the
difficulties that modern reality television producers face, when trying to
recruit sincere and honest subjects. In
recent years, it has become increasingly hard for producers to find real
genuine people to film. With shows like
the "Bachelor" and "Jersey Shore", which have really popularized
reality television, more and more people have gone into reality programs with
the intent of "showing off" for the camera. One of the major problems leading to this, is
that reality stars who act out and show ridiculous personalities, receive more
fame, endorsements, and viewer attention.
Tomashoff mentions that it has been nearly
twenty years since MTV's "The Real Life" premiered, which is
considered to have brought reality TV focused on ordinary people into the
mainstream. Nearly two decades ago, most
people were unfamiliar with how reality television worked, and it was much
easier for producers to find real people, who would live their normal lives in
front of a camera. In an interview with Lacey
Pemberton, a casting director of the "Bachelor", she told Tomashoff, “People
have become smarter about these sorts of things, so is it harder to cast? Yes,”. She went on to say “I want people fresh to
the idea of doing this and not so focused on being on television. At the end of
the day, I still find it, but do I have to go through more now? I do.” From this statement, it is apparent that as
people have discovered the fame and financial gain that can be made through reality
television, many people have felt compelled to exploit this system.
Programming executives who, in the past, would
travel across the country in search of potential subjects to film, now are
approached by talent agencies everywhere.
The Discovery Channel's president, Eileen O’Neill, made a statement in
regard to these agencies, basically saying that they have brought some benefits
into the industry, accompanied by disadvantages. She said that the assistance they have gotten
from these talent agencies “has both helped and complicated the growth of characters
in reality TV.” With talent agencies
involving themselves between television producers and clients, business seems
like it is taking a priority over the actual subject of the show. This makes it even more difficult for reality
television producers to keep their cast genuine and real.
After reading Tomashoff's article, I
personally feel that his perspective on reality television is justified and
right for the most part. The plunge in
the quality of reality television seems like it might be largely due to a shift
in attitude of both the viewers and the participants. Viewers have shown that they give more
attention towards characters of reality TV with outrageous personalities, and
who make controversial choices. As a
result, the participants in reality shows often do questionable things and act out
ridiculous personalities, which are far from real. I believe that the only way for us to have
reality television that is genuinely real, is for people to stop encouraging and
ignore the participants that act absurdly.
I agree with what this article is stating but in my opinion, once it comes down to it all, nobody would watch reality television if it wasn’t for the absurd characters. Think about it, for example, if all the girls on The Bachelor were normal and civilized, there would be no suspense or drama. If the cast of Jersey Shore didn’t act as crazy as they did, what would the show even be? The suspense and the drama are what pull’s audiences into every show. It’s what people tune back in for week after week. Viewers crave watching so called “villains” and wild girls. Overall, this does make it harder for producers and casting directors to find more genuine, real people because then they won’t have high ratings. It’s a complicated process that probably takes months and months for these series. The fact of it is, is that the definition of reality television now compared to a decade ago is very different.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Sheyda, about why reality television has such crazy characters. The absurdity really helps draw the the masses of viewers that tune in to watch these reality TV shows. People really want to watch programming that is interesting and out of the ordinary, not shows that are about boring real-life. Although this makes it difficult for producers who would want to find people who act more down to earth, this is not necessarily a bad thing, since the producers probably wouldn't want to make a show about these people. Again, who really wants to watch a program about a boring, middle-class family who goes to school/work from 9-5, as opposed to a show about people doing and saying crazy things, or being put into more interesting situations? Although these shows somewhat blur the line between reality TV and scripted TV, this does not matter as much, since in the end, it comes down to maximizing viewers and thus profits.
DeleteAfter finished reading the article, I both agree and disagree with the author, Craig Thoshaff. I do agree with the simple fact that it is much harder to find real people to do reality television shows. However, I do not think that the directors are necessarily looking for the nice and normal characters. This is where I agree with Sheyda. Without the rowdy, obnoxious, and sometimes-idiotic characters that shows possess, such as Jersey Shore, the ratings of these shows would drastically decrease. With the successes and fame that came with the Jersey Shore caste, it has made it more difficult to find genuine people for reality TV shows. This is because people now realize the benefit of the possible reward for being idiotic outweighs the risk of what it could bring.
ReplyDeletePersonally I feel as if there is no "coming back" once the effects have been administered onto the reality television genre. These shows that provide a show-offish tone for their programming have successfully induced the outlook that reality television needs to be obscure or absurd or crazy in order to be entertaining for the viewing audience, who is constantly looking for more and more action as modern television evolves. Instead the producers need not to find the real people in order to appeal to their audience, but to ensure that the participants in the program are willing to be absurd as part of their natural lives. A show without intensity, or at least a hint of quirkiness, won't appeal, and without participants who naturally act that way in the first place, I can almost guarantee the show will be dull, generic, and less appealing.
ReplyDeleteI have had a few friends end up on MTV's reality shows in the past six years or so, and even one friend who was on Wipeout. All were cast and none of them were just approached randomly on the street because they seem so interesting. Its not often that one hears about people landing a role on television or a movie because a producer passed by them and decided to offer a role in a production because the person was so interesting. It makes complete sense that more people are being brought in by talent agencies, where else are you going to find the PERFECT over the top character every time you want to create a new series. From the sound of it, productions are not necessarily about the money as some might assume. Perhaps it is all about the quality of the production; how are you going to have a quality production without the right cast? You're not...
ReplyDeleteI agree with the idea that people are figuring out the advantages of reality tv. People literally become overnight sensations on these shows and it gets their name around (ex: Jon & Kate Plus 8) or even opens doors for more opportunities in the industry. Ironically, people who are even interested in being casted into a tv show are the ones who seek fame the most. Of course it is hard to find "normal" people living normal lives. These large personalities can be harmful to the shows because they look at the job as a stepping stone to a career or clash with other cast members. The article below is an example of the struggles of casting. The article claims that a rift has grown between the family cast of Duck Dynasty, mostly between people who enjoy the fame and those who don't. This dispute can change the show in a negative way and has an obvious effect on the personal relationships between the cast members.
ReplyDeletehttp://hollywoodlife.com/2013/10/09/duck-dynasty-family-drama-feud-cast-quit-show/
I agree with Chris, I talked to someone who was actually filmed along with his friend who was the subject of MTV's "True Life Virgin" reality TV show. I do not know the selection process but they said that all the characters were paid and given scripts. He said that they were told exactly what to say when in conversations. The producers paid random girls to talk to the main character, he didn't even get the chance to actually try talking to girls. I see it like when you read a book and they make a movie version and you're like, wow thats not what I thought they would look like. I think that the producer is introduced to a storyline and then selects people to play the roles who he imagines to be the best fit. I do wish that reality TV was more realistic. If any of you have seen the show Parental Control, not only is it completely obvious that its scripted but the acting is laughable. All of the subjects tend to talk in a monotone with almost a rhythmic sound. Look up the show Parental Control on Wiki and the first line is "a heavily scripted pseudo-reality program". Reality TV has much left to desire.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised that this article is claiming that producers are mad that they cannot find “genuine” people to cast in shows. In my opinion they want people that are outrageous and will create drama because more people will talk about it and continue to watch it. Maybe when reality television shows first came out they were actually somewhat genuine, but I feel that over time there has been a growing popularity of reality shows. Reality TV has become so popular that even the Food Network is starting to air reality shows. I feel that it is somewhat competitive as well since there are so many similar reality plots that producers feel like they need to make them even more scandalous than other ones to get more viewers. I doubt producers are looking for real and genuine people because a boring show with boring people will not make for viewers and money.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I think it is hard to find "real" people to be on a reality tv show. Even if the reality tv show actors try to be their realest and act like they would if there was no camera, I feel like the camera being there and following them around would have a lot of influence on what they say or do because some things they do not want to be out and in the open. The article "How reality TV gets written" even mentions that "If you’re doing anything that involves celebrities, you have to remember not to keep them so on-the-rails that they can’t show you who they are beyond the public persona". In other words, the celebrities choose what they show on camera because they do not want the public to see all aspects to them. Because of this I do not think they are being completely real.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.avclub.com/article/how-reality-tv-gets-written-99627
Craig Thoshaff is PREACHING. But, from a business viewpoint, I’d have to tell Thoshaff to be happy because he’s producing shows that sell! Of course the characters might not be genuine and defeat the purpose of reality t.v but statistics don’t like and that’s what the public wants. Reality T.V success at the expense of sincerity to the public. If the public likes drama queens who get plastered every day and if the public likes 16 year olds with kids than that’s what’s going to satisfy the public and make the network money, that simple.
ReplyDeletePersonally I think it’s sad that people are acting essentially fake to make it onto television and that it’s ruined the purpose of reality T.V but in the end it’s just another industry that was exploited.
I don't remember any reality show in history being "genuine real." In my opinion, reality TV has always had absurd characters, overly dramatic personality, plenty of ridiculous plot. It's because of these reality show characteristics though, that people actually watch it. Who wants to watch a normal family doing average ordinary tasks throughout the day? In my opinion, these agencies are just making it easier for reality shows to find people and they should give up on trying to get "genuine" people.
ReplyDeleteIt's somewhat of a shame that the attitudes of participants in reality shows has driven then quality down significantly. The concept of being on television has certainly distorted the behaviors of willing participants. But as previously stated, reality television wouldn't have much appeal if it was not for these people and their ludicrous personalities and actions. Not having genuine personalities on reality television obviously defeats the purpose, but it is far more appealing than watching a group of introverted, reserved, or socially inept people live their lives. On another note, it's interesting that some producers are upset they can't find more 'genuine' people, when it's the crazy, outrageous people that draw in viewers.
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